Viewer’s guide: What you’ll see on TV before, after Super Bowl LV (and at halftime)
Sunday will be a good day to order in food.
The Super Bowl won’t begin until 5:30 p.m., but there will plenty of things to watch on television before and after the Chiefs take on the Buccaneers in Super Bowl LV.
Let’s begin with what you’ll see during Sunday’s break in the game action, better known as halftime.
Halftime Show
If you’ve seen the oft-repeated Pepsi commercial, you will recognize the face of Abel Tesfaye, better known by his professional name, The Weeknd.
That’s who will be performing the halftime show at Super Bowl LV, and the song in the Pepsi commercial is “Blinding Lights.” It is in the Top 10 of Billboard’s Hot 100 songs.
The Weeknd’s manager, Wassim Slaiby, told Billboard that Super Bowl organizers usually cover production costs for the halftime show. However, Tesfaye is spending $7 million of his own money to “make this halftime show be what he envisioned.”
Pre-game options
The NFL Network plans to have 20 of its on-air personalities join the “NFL GameDay Morning” show that will start at 8 a.m. Sunday. It will be an 8 1/2-hour program leading up to kickoff.
Among the interviews planned: Kurt Warner talking with Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Steve Mariucci interviewing coach Andy Reid.
ESPN’s “Postseason NFL Countdown” show will air from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday, with Suzy Kolber and Sam Ponder co-hosting. Ten on-air personalities are expected to join the broadcast.
CBS plans to air seven hours of programming before the game, beginning at 10:30 a.m. Among the highlights: NFL Films’ “Road to the Super Bowl,” which will air at 11 a.m. It’s highlights of mic’d-up players and coaches from the 2020 season. At noon, Tony Romo will be hosting a one-hour show, with plans to interview Mahomes.
Beginning at 5 p.m., the pre-game festivities start. The national anthem will be performed by Eric Church and Jazmine Sullivan. “America the Beautiful” will be sung by H.E.R., with the coin-toss and team introductions to follow. Also, Amanda Gordon, who made a splash with her poem at the Presidential Inaugural, will recite a poem.
One other option for before the game: Miley Cyrus will perform for the 7,500 healthcare workers who were given tickets to the game. The NFL will stream that two-hour show on its TikTok at 1:30 p.m.
Post-game options
CBS will show the on-field Lombardi Trophy presentation, which will include live interviews with players.
The NFL Network’s “NFL GameDay Final” will air after the game. It will include interviews with players and coaches, analysis and game highlights. Host Chris Rose will be joined by Michael Irvin and Mariucci.
ESPN’s “NFL Primetime” airs after the game, and Chris Berman will be the host. Booger McFarland and Steve Young will join the show.
This story was originally published February 1, 2021 at 12:19 PM with the headline "Viewer’s guide: What you’ll see on TV before, after Super Bowl LV (and at halftime)."
